Going once, going twice, going chicken soup with rice.

When I was 5, I caught a horrible cold, which turned into bronchitis and left me with a horrible cough. I ended up missing MONTHS of kindergarten. Then again when I was 7, I came down with a horrible case of croup while we were on a family vacation, and was again left with a lingering cough for months. Now, even as an adult, every time I get a cold, I end up with bronchitis and a cough that lingers for weeks making me sound like I smoke a couple packs a day.

When I finally succumbed to the "creeping crud" circulating my office a couple weeks ago, I was home sick in bed for what seemed like years (5 days). I felt just like I did back when I was so sick when I was 5 and 7, and was really wishing my mommy would come take care of me, just like she did all those years ago. Instead I laid in bed with my dogs by my side, sleeping 18 hours a day and spending the remaining 6 hours watching Netflix, blowing my nose, and trying not to cough up a lung. I was so thankful that my Keurig gives me hot tea at the push of a button in less than a minute.

But what I was really craving was some homemade chicken soup, just like mom used to make when we were sick. This recipe is based off of my mom's soup and one of my favorite books as a kid, Chicken Soup with Rice.

Homemade Chicken Soup with Rice

8 cups of Homemade Chicken stock, or 2 cartons of Organic low sodium chicken stock
1tbl olive oil
2 organic carrots, diced
2 organic stalks of celery, chopped
1 organic onion, chopped
1/2 c. of uncooked organic white rice
1 cup of cooked chicken, shredded
1 can of organic green beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-1 tsp of poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbl of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Saute carrots, celery, and onions until soft. Add 6 cups of chicken broth, rice, chicken, green beans, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked, stirring often and adding additional 2 cups of stock as needed. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot.